Pedestrians carry shopping bags as they walk through the Union Square shopping district on April 15, 2021, in San Francisco.
Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines for outdoor mask use for fully vaccinated Americans last week, and California finally made an official announcement Monday that it’s aligning with the federal mandate, expanding the scenarios in which fully vaccinated people can go without a mask in public.
San Francisco officials also fell in line with the new guidance on Monday.
“We welcome the state’s decision to adopt these common-sense guidelines and we hope it further incentivizes people to get vaccinated as soon as possible,” Dr. Susan Philip, San Francisco’s acting health officer, said in a statement. “We are going to be updating our health orders and various directives to reflect these changes. That will likely take several days. However, our local face covering order will be updated sooner.”
Marin County Health Director Matt Willis also confirmed his county is adopting the state guidance. Other Bay Area counties have yet to make official announcements, but are expected to follow the California guidelines. Residents can look to their county officials for the latest guidance on face-coverings in the region.
According to the state guidelines, fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks outdoors except when attending crowded outdoor events where physical distancing is not possible, such as live performances, parades, fairs, festivals, sports events or other similar settings. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their last shot.
Inoculated people are not required to wear face coverings at small gatherings both indoors and outdoors, while unvaccinated people should still cover their faces.
Regardless of vaccination status, face coverings continue to be required in public indoors settings with a few exceptions.
If you are not fully vaccinated, the state asks you to continue wearing a mask outdoors when you can’t maintain distancing of at least 6 feet, the state says.
Find the state of California’s new guidance for the use of face coverings here.